Fear Not! Poppable Bubble Wrap Isn't Going Anywhere

As you might have heard, Sealed Air will unveil a revamped version of Bubble Wrap, called iBubble Wrap. This new product will come in flat plastic sheets that consumers will have to inflate on their own. Besides the extra labor, all the fun is being eradicated as well—the bubbles won't pop. Interconnected columns of bubbles will make the product cost-efficient, but will remove the poppable spheres that everyone loves to burst.

The Internet was not amused.

While this sounds like incredibly dismal news for the young and young at heart, don't start hoarding just yet: iBubble will not be replacing traditional Bubble Wrap.

The new product will be sold alongside the product we all know and love and sold to online retailers who are in desperate need for the extra space.

“Regular Bubble Wrap isn’t going anywhere, and will be around long after we’re both dead,” spokesperson Ken Aurichio told BuzzFeed News.

The new flat packaging is estimated to only take up about one-fiftieth the space that the older, more fun product would have. A single truck can carry the same amount of iBubble Wrap as 47 trucks of normal Bubble Wrap. This is ideal for companies like Amazon that are always experimenting with more efficient ways to ship their product.

Despite protective packaging being a huge industry—with international sales hitting $20 billion in 2013—Sealed Air has struggled with the increased competition. The company frequently loses business to local competitors because it is too costly to ship their bulky product more than 150 miles from the factory. The most cost efficient iBubble could possibly be the answer to these woes.

While this seems like the better alternative for many companies, they still need to buy the special pump to inflate iBubble. Right now the pump is $5,500, but the company aims to get that price down to $1,000 by 2017.

This new product is mainly for retailers, so people buying Bubble Wrap in stores to move or ship personal items don't have to worry. It's already uncommon for retailers to ship their goods in Bubble Wrap, so not much is going to change for online shoppers. And even if iBubble did cannibalize Bubble Wrap, there are plenty of imitators on the market to choose from.

If you were never quite sure how to pronounce the name of beloved French kitchenware brand Le Creuset, don't fret: For the longest time, southern chef, author, and PBS personality Vivian Howard wasn't sure either.

In this video from Le Creuset, shared by Food & Wine, Howard prepares to sear some meat in her bright orange Le Creuset pot and explains, "For the longest time I had such a crush on them but I could never verbalize it because I didn’t know how to say it and I was so afraid of sounding like a big old redneck." Listen closely as she demonstrates the official, Le Creuset-endorsed pronunciation at 0:51.

Le Creuset is known for its colorful, cast-iron cookware, which is revered by pro chefs and home cooks everywhere. The company first introduced their durable pots to the world in 1925. Especially popular are their Dutch ovens, which are thick cast-iron pots that have been around since the 18th century and are used for slow-cooking dishes like roasts, stews, and casseroles.

Since its acquisition of Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in 2017, Amazon has slowly been ramping up synergy between the two brands. An Amazon Go concept convenience store in Seattle allows customers to enter, scan their cell phone, and walk out with groceries without having to stand in line; select Amazon products, like their Echo devices, have made their way onto retail shelves.

Now, consumers in Austin, Dallas, Cincinnati, and Virginia Beach can use their status as an Amazon Prime customer to get free home delivery of their Whole Foods groceries. Beginning Thursday, February 8, the market will drop off orders within two hours. (One-hour delivery carries a $7.99 charge.)

“We're happy to bring our customers the convenience of free two-hour delivery through Prime Now and access to thousands of natural and organic groceries and locally sourced favorites,” Whole Foods Market co-founder and CEO John Mackey said in a statement. “Together, we have already lowered prices on many items, and this offering makes Prime customers’ lives even easier.”

Most everything in the store is eligible for delivery, though we’re not certain they’d deliver a live lobster. “Select” alcohol is also available. You can visit primenow.com to see if you’re in their delivery region. Keep checking, as they plan to expand throughout 2018.

If you’re not near a Whole Foods at all, other regional grocery chains like Wegman’s also offer home delivery on a subscription-based pricing structure.